Category Archives: Family

Disney now has a new savings programed aimed at helping families save for their Disney vacations. You can check out all the details here: https://disneyvacationaccount.disney.go.com/ Personally I think it’s not a bad option, especially for families where multiple individuals would be contributing towards the costs. I know we couldn’t have afforded our January trip if I hadn’t created a special savings account at our bank.

I began saving pretty much as soon as we got home from our first trip to WDW. Ten percent off the top of everything I made went straight into that savings account. And any time I could, I’d put extra in. Sometimes it was another five bucks, sometimes it was five hundred (gotta love large pay days). More often than not it was a tiny bit at a time. But a years worth of saving everything I could has meant we’re heading to WDW in three weeks.

Yeah, there were things we chose to do without. Things we could have used. I’d love a new oven or dishwasher… and we haven’t decorated yet even though we’ve now been living in this house for a little over a year. LOL But we all make choices, we all have priorities. And honestly? When Lily-Ann is grown? She won’t remember that our oven only had a top burner (which meant the bottom half of our pizzas weren’t as crisp as they should have been), but she will remember the amazing times we had as a family, laughing, and enjoying every moment. And that’s worth keeping our crummy oven a little longer. 😉

Joyous Yule!

Because it’s Yule, I’m actually writing this post on the 20th and will schedule it to upload on the 21st. We will be busy with our family celebrations but wanted to be sure to share something today. 🙂 Sometime around 10:30 or 11:00 the girl will get one last present. Something we purchased while we were still in Disney World in February: a framed sketch of Ariel by one of the Disney artists.

She sooo wanted to stay in one of the Little Mermaid rooms during our last trip, but with three adults we needed to book into one of the suites. We figured bringing home a little bit of the magic for a gift later on might be a nice thing to do. Of course, at that point we didn’t realize that the very next year we’d be heading back, or that this time we’d be staying in one of those rooms the girl so coveted. It couldn’t be a more perfect way to share our surprise.

In the box, with her framed illustration, we’ll be putting this brief note:

We are all out of colour toner, so I printed the text in black and drew in the WDW logo, castle, and balloons myself. I can’t wait to see her face when she reads it! 😀

A couple of weeks ago I had emailed the good folks at Walt Disney World with a bit of a query. On our last trip, in spite of the fact that members of our group have several disabilities, we avoided using the Access program. I believe one should do what they can to avoid any misuse of equal access programs, and while we certainly qualified to use it, if we could do without, it’s what I’d prefer. I don’t want my daughter or much younger sister growing up thinking they deserve special privileges simply because they face different challenges than others. And with the old program, anyone with an access card skips to the front of the line – which is clearly not about equality but about special privileges (which is why it was so abused). Anyway…

I had emailed the people at WDW to ask about seating for the Main Street Electrical Parade. This was one time when I desperately wished we had requested assistance on our last trip. The wait resulted in a lot of anxiety for two members of our party, a melt down for one, and a whole lot of pain for two. Sitting on the concrete for over an hour trying to hold a spot was not good for any of us. I was hoping there would be some kind of reserved seating available. Turns out not… they only have special seating for those guests who are non-ambulatory. She did give me some tips for the parade though, so hopefully that will help. Because in spite of the pain (both physical and mental) the MSEP remains on our must do list.

So while that wasn’t great news, she did fill me on on the NEW Disability Access program at Disney World – and that is something I’m excited about. She encouraged me to participate on our upcoming trip, because the new program addresses the concerns I had with the old program. Now, instead of ushering people to the front of the line, offering special privileges and inviting misuse, it now works more like the old Fast Passes.

Individuals with special needs request a special card, and instead of hoping into line, get it stamped at the entry to the queue. It is stamped with the time they are to return, so they are waiting for the same amount of time as everyone else in the line. But instead of having to stand there (and cause anxiety or pain flare-ups or what-have-you) they can then go sit down, eat, run in circles, meditate, draw, go pee… whatever they need to do to mitigate their symptoms, returning for the time on their card. At which point they rejoin the queue at the place they would have been standing when their card was stamped. Now, that doesn’t mean they won’t have to stand in line at all, but it does reduce the time in the line without removing the wait.

I love this new accessibility program. It ensures those with special needs are able to have equal access to the rides, shows, character meetings, etc without granting an advantage and inviting misuse or program abuse. And I do think this is a much better idea, and is a change I’m looking forward to experiencing. Granted it doesn’t help with the MSEP, but hopefully by lessening the stress throughout the day (both physically and emotionally) it will be a little easier too… because it really cannot be missed! 😉

Clearly I’m not the only one in the house with Mickey on the brain. The girl made Mickey Mouse pancakes while she was playing on her breakfast app. And while yes, this kind of post would be more appropriate on a “Wordless Wednesday” let’s just call this one a “Tired Tuesday”. 😉

I am SOOO ready for the Holiday break! I don’t know who I was trying to cheer up more when I said to the girl “only three more days of school until the break”.

I’m at school all morning tomorrow, and then I have an School Community Council meeting at lunch. On Thursday we have the Saputo lunch at school. Friday is PJ day. Saturday is Yule. Sunday I have a wedding to photograph. Monday I have a family photo session to do, and some Yummy Rummy egg nog to make. Tuesday is the annual Christmas eve party. Wednesday is Christmas with my siblings and parents. Thursday is boxing day, when the extended family will all gather at my parent’s place. Friday I have a hair cut and a night out with my man. And Saturday I can kick back and do NOTHING with the kid. Maybe. I have a friend in town and we’re either going to have a little mini-high school reunion on Saturday OR Sunday. LOL The point is, on Saturday or Sunday next week I get to kick back and do nothing. LMAO Yay! Oh! I still have one teacher present to make and a gift for one of the Brides. Yikes! Tack those onto the to do list for the next day or two. I do love the holidays, but I am looking forward to a day with NOTHING. Oh! Still about eight presents to wrap too. Gotta get those done. Am I missing anything important? Grocery shopping. Right. Hard to have a merry holiday pig out without food in the house. LOL Anything else?

I’m so glad Yule falls smack in the middle of it all. While it will be a day with lots going on, it’s ALL just for us. And I’m so looking forward to seeing the girl’s reaction to the news that we’re heading back to Disney World in mid-January. 😀

Just like last year, we’re keeping our trip to Walt Disney World a surprise until Yule. This year though, we’re leading up to the reveal with her advent calendar. We bought a whole bunch of Disney pins off eBay, and have put them inside dated Disney ornaments:

Disney ornaments from Target

So every day the girl gets a new pin.

She loved the first one:

Showing off her Mickey Mouse pin.

But by the third was catching onto the theme and finding it less than fun. Last year her advent calendar included little baggies filled with little toys, MLP clothes, LPS accessories, and other odds and ends with a lot more playability. Then, by about day five, she realized these are the same pins they use for pin trading at WDW… and a world of possibilities came flooding in on her. Now she’s excited to see which one is inside each ornament, and likes to think about which might be keepers and which might be good for trading.

Her first five pins.

I am so looking forward to the big reveal on the 21st. I know she’s just going to be over the moon to learn our next trip is coming up so quickly. It’s going to be amazing!

We are now one month our from our second trip to Walt Disney World. We loved our first trip (in January/February of 2013) sooo much, that shortly after returning we began planning for a return visit. This time we’ll be heading off on January 14th, once month from today, and will again be staying for ten days (two of which are devoted to travel). Unfortunately we couldn’t afford to bring my sister along this time, but I’m sure it will be just as magical though very different without her. Oh! And the girl doesn’t know about the trip yet, so don’t spill the beans. We’ll be revealing the surprise on Yule! hehehe

Anyway…

To get in the spirit of things I’m planning to blog “30 Days of Disney”.

I realized in my WDW posts from our last trip that I had barely scratched the surface. There was still SOOO much I hadn’t shared, and just a ton of pictures that never made it onto the blog. I can’t wait to start talking Disney with the kid, but until the 21st I’m stuck trying to keep my excitement bottled up. I’m hoping y’all won’t mind being a bit of an outlet for me. I am crazy excited about this trip.

So this is the first of 30 Walt Disney World posts. For now, let’s just recap where we’ve been and what we’ve seen:

Sing with me now: “I am… I am Supermom. And I know what’s happening. I am… I am Supermom. And I can do anything.”

I read a blog post today that I had to come share. It started out saying:

Look, I know the areas in life where I excel. It unfortunately doesn’t involve me being a size two and wearing the most. stylish. boots. you ever did see. I will not be doing a triathlon, I’ll be the one over there handing out water and cheering you on while eating a muffin. My house isn’t ever company ready. Just move that pile of Legos, I will make dinner. I can make you laugh, I can make you think. I am a great friend. I am amazing in bed. I like the woman that I have become. I can also throw a party like you wouldn’t believe.

My name is Michelle and I throw “Pinterest worthy” parties for my children.

I don’t think this makes me a shitty mom, a superior mom, or that I have too much time on my hands. I assure you, I do not.

I also don’t think it makes you a shitty mom for NOT throwing parties like that for your children’s birthdays, having a spotless house, and working full time.

The whole point of the post was what I’ve always said, that our priorities and skills may be different, but that doesn’t make any one of us better at being a Mom than the rest of us. That it’s time we supported one another, cut each other some slack, and honestly do the same for ourselves.

The author goes on to say that she is NOT Supermom. But you know what? She’s wrong. She’s totally Supermom. Just like you and I.

We are ALL Supermoms. I mean honestly! Think about it!

Today, I’ve already walked back and forth from my daughter’s school three times, and I’m going to do it one more time before the day is through. And yes, one of those three times I seriously contemplated stripping down to my skivies and laying on a neighbour’s lawn because the heat was so freakin’ unbelievable (35 degrees, insane). But taking the time to make my daughter feel safe and valued? That makes me Supermom. Does it make those Mom’s who’s kids are in daycare or who have to eat lunch at school less super? Hell no. It just means we’ve made different choices about how best to parent our individual families. And that’s totally okay. Being a Mom is tough. It’s not for everyone (and kudos for those of you who recognize this is not the life for you BEFORE you end up in the middle of it). There’s a whole lot of judgement out there for the things we do or don’t do… but come on. At the very least we should be able to count on our fellow Supermoms for support and appreciation. We all rock pretty freakin hard!

Lily-Ann celebrated her sixth birthday almost a week ago. On July 20th we had friends and a few family members over to the house to help her celebrate. She’d decided on a Goddess Girls theme this year. We all dressed in chitons, played games I created based on the characters in the books, ate ambrosia cake and drank nectar punch, and everyone wore the winged sandals we made as our party favours. After her party, she told me that all her birthday dreams and wishes had come true. It was an awesome day.

Click the photo to see the rest of her party pictures.

The two weeks leading up to her sixth birthday, the girl had been going through some rather big developmental changes. It was clear she was becoming a “big kid” and leaving the “baby” behind. I was so excited for her. She was growing in leaps and bounds right before my eyes. I was proud of the conscious choices she was making, and happy for those things that were changing even without her awareness. As much as I loved my baby, my toddler, and my little girl, I love the big kid she was becoming even more (if that’s possible).

My little girl loved going to the movies. She loves the stories, the action, the music, the popcorn… cuddling up in the dark theater. More than any of that though, she loved to dance. Ever since that first movie we went to, we’d let her run up to the front as soon as the credits started, and we’d watch her dance.

Those first few times, she’d wipe out… a lot. We’d hold back though, and just wait. Then, with even more resolve, determination, and grit she would dust herself off and dance her heart out. Sometimes spinning all the way from one side of the theater to the other, arms held wide, face to the sky, feeling the entire world whorl around her. And she would take my heart along for the ride.

It was secretly my favourite part of the movie too.

There were times, when others would get caught up in her passion too. When individuals, couples, and families would stay to watch her dance. Some would clap for her. Others would tell us how amazing they thought she was. And there were those who would simply smile, their eyes full of gratitude.

I think her dancing reminded people of joy. We so easily forget how much of it there is in this world. We get so caught up in things that really don’t matter and we forget how to be swept up in it. Joy can fill the heart with rapture and our lives with light. Lily-Ann gave that back to people, even if it was just for a while.

Today, when the movie ended, and she got up to dance, my heart soared – like it always did. She got up to the front, and she stood there. I watched her posture change, and watched that joy melt away. Then I watched her walk back to her seat. She sat back down and said “I’m not going to dance today. Maybe a different day, but not today.” And I started to bawl. I wasn’t loud, but I couldn’t stop the tears. They poured down my face.

Lily wasn’t sad. She was happy. But that pure innocent joy, without a care about what anyone could think, was gone. She really is a big kid, and with that comes both good and bad. I look forward to what this next stage has in store for us, but I desperately mourn for my baby – who was here with me only weeks ago.

Summer hasn’t even started yet, and already it’s too short. Two months? That’s barely enough time to picnic, forget finishing our unpacking, fixing up the house, gardening, heading to the lake, and all the other things we want to do. We’re going to blink and it will be time for school again.

Autumn used to be my favourite time of year. I loved the weather, the leaves, the fact that most folk stopped coming to the lake – leaving it just for us… I loved everything about it. Now I’m dreading it.

Autumn this year means my baby is leaving me. And the kicker? I’m the one who convinced her to give grade one a try, she wanted to stay home and have me teach her. But Ms. Jackson, the grade one teacher at Mayfair? She’s fabulous. Is so obviously passionate about her kids, and I just know Lily-Ann could learn so much from having her be a daily part of her life. I’m just so not ready to give her up. Not even close to ready.

Moving from Pre-k to Kindergarten was hard enough. I still miss our Friday afternoons. But the idea that come Fall I will only have my girl for a few hours every day??? It’s just too much. I honestly cried myself to sleep last night. It’s ridiculous, I know. I can’t help it though. I am not ready to give her up.

We haven’t even started Summer holidays and already I’m depressed and upset over Summer coming to an end. How the heck am I going to make it through? There isn’t enough time in the world to prepare me for giving up my daughter full time to the school system. Can’t she go part time? Honestly? Truly? Is that an option? Because THAT would make it all better.

I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately. I’m sure it’s the weather… we’ve been breaking records left and right for the cold and snow, records that go back as far as they’ve been recording temperatures here in Saskatchewan – and that’s 120 years of recorded cold and snow levels.

It’s not unheard of to have a freak snowfall in April… but we’re not talking about an odd, one-off, Spring snow. We’re talking about a Winter that appears to be never-ending. We still have over a foot of snow covering most of the yard (and three feet in some corners).

I have seeds awaiting planting. And I’m dying to be spending time with my hands in the good dark earth. I need to put on a pair of clam diggers, and get out in the sunshine. This weather is just making me feel like curling up into a ball and never emerging from my bed.

Normally I spend my birthday outside, having a picnic or bbq. Heck, on several occasions I’ve spent it on the beach. Never in my now 36 years have I been kept indoors by snow.

In spite of the weather though, I had the best birthday I’ve had in a very long while. Lily-Ann insisted that she and her Daddy go to great efforts to make the day special – and I am so grateful that she did. I love Damon, but he’s never been one to make a fuss or do anything to make someone feel important on their day… which means I’d gotten rather used to having crummy birthdays. LOL If I’d had one of those along with this crummy weather? I’m not sure I would have gotten out of bed. 😉

My girl really did make me feel so special. She got her Daddy up in the morning and the two of them made me breakfast in bed – something I’ve never had in my adult life. Then we all watched a couple episodes of Friendship is Magic before heading out to build-a-bear… where Lily-Ann and I picked out, and put together, and chose clothing for a Pinkie Pie stuffy. Whom is now sitting beside my bed being super cute. On our way home we all got smoothies, then vegged for a while before Supper.

My parents had bought me a gift card for Persephone Theater, and with it I bought tickets for Damon and I to see Ride the Cyclone – a musical about a group of dead teenagers. It was very well written, and had us laughing all the way through. Some fabulous performances as well. It was a great way to wrap up a wonderful birthday.

So. I’m 36. I wish it actually looked like Spring, but I had a lovely birthday just the same. Yep. That sums it up pretty well. 😉